USA vs. France Odds: Olympic Gold Medal Game Preview, Picks, Prediction
Sports betting analyst Nick Galaida’s Olympic Men’s Basketball bets are 5-1. Check out USA vs. France odds below, read his matchup preview, and get his gold medal game picks before things tip off Friday night!
Gold Medal Game: USA vs. France Odds
| France Odds | +12 |
| USA Odds | -12 |
| Over/Under | 175.5 |
| Date | Friday, Aug. 6 |
| Time | 10:30 pm ET |
| TV | NBCSN |
| Odds accurate as of Thursday at BetMGM | |
| Click Here to Bet $20 on Any Olympic Game & Win $100 Regardless of Outcome! | |
On Friday at 10:30 PM ET, France and the United States will face off in a Finals match that oddsmakers are expecting to be a rout in favor of Team USA. This is the second time in less than two weeks that these two teams will face-off, after they played one another in the opening game of the group phase on July 25.
France is undefeated entering this contest, going 5-0 thus far in Tokyo. Let’s take a deeper look at these rosters to see if the United States can avenge their preliminary round loss to France with a gold medal on the line.
USA vs. France Preview
France does not have nearly as many bonafide stars on their team as the United States, but that did not stop them from upsetting Team USA 11 days ago by a final score of 83-76. Evan Fournier has led the way for France on the offensive end of the floor, averaging 19.2 points per game. Rudy Gobert enters play on Friday averaging 11.4 points and 9.6 rebounds. Gobert has a size advantage over everyone on the United States roster and could once again be a problem in the paint for his smaller opponents. France outrebounded Team USA 42-36 in their group phase victory. If they can control the glass on Friday, they could have an opportunity to pull off yet another surprising upset.
However, many of the problems that plagued the United States at the start of this tournament seem to be falling away as the Games approach their conclusion. Adding Khris Middleton, Jrue Holiday, and Devin Booker to the rotation without any practice time seemed to be a poor idea in retrospect. In their July 25 loss to France, those three players combined to shoot 6-21 from the field and had a plus/minus of negative 10. Middleton, Holiday, and Booker have since found their stride—totaling 42 of Team USA’s 97 points against Australia in their semi-final win, combining to shoot an efficient 17-30 from the floor. Team chemistry issues seem to be a thing of the past for this group that has now played five games with one another at full strength.
If there is any major concern for the United States, it is in their seeming inability to be mentally focused for the duration of the game. Team USA trailed by double-digits early in their semi-final matchup against Australia, but once they locked-in psychologically, the tremendous talent disparity on the floor manifested in a commanding 97-78 victory. Head Coach, Gregg Popovich will need to ensure that his group is ready from the opening tip-off in the gold medal game against a France team that has already beaten them once in this tournament.
Betting Picks: Back USA -12 ATS, Over 176.5 Points
After losing to France in the group phase, bettors might be surprised to see that the United States is so heavily favored in this game. Yet, after a surprising loss to France to open the tournament, Team USA defeated Iran 120-66, and the Czech Republic 119-84. A 14 point win against Spain and a 19 point win against Australia in the knockout round has the market believing in the United States’ ability to deliver a convincing win, even if they do not play their best basketball from the opening minutes of the game.
France is undefeated in Tokyo, but three of their wins have come by less than 10 points. Their semifinal victory against Slovenia was only by one point and required a game-saving block in the closing seconds to advance to this matchup with the United States. Team USA is firing on all cylinders. The talent disparity is enormous in this one and should result in a comfortable win for the United States.
ATS Pick: USA -12
France’s five game totals in this tournament have been 159, 174, 141, 159, and 179. The United States’ games have totaled 159, 186, 203, 176, and 175. The United States struggled offensively in their first matchup against France, but better team chemistry and a familiarity with the French defensive schemes should enable Team USA to have a much better shooting day on Friday. If this game gets out of hand, defense is likely to become an afterthought in the second half. Expect the United States to do a much better job of controlling the pace of this game compared to their group phase matchup with France. Bettors should proceed with caution, due to the limited sample size from which to analyze data for this game, but the over is likely worth a small wager as Team USA looks for revenge and their fourth consecutive gold medal at the Summer Games.
Over/Under Pick: o175.5 points
Image Credit: Imagn